Ontario is ramping up its war against auto theft with a $51 million investment over the next three years to target organized crime groups. Within the insurance industry, the move has been hailed as a welcome and much needed step.
The rate of auto thefts continues to climb across Canada, with the number of vehicles reported stolen increasing by 26% between January to April compared to the same period last year.
In Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, a car is stolen roughly every 48 minutes. This month, Ontario unveiled a plan that includes dedicated teams to investigate and prosecute criminal organizations that profit from auto theft.
Bryan Gast (pictured above), vice president of the investigative services division at Équité Association, called Ontario’s investment a “phenomenal advancement”.
“There's going to be a bit of a lag [in national auto theft rates] by the time the unit gets up and running. Then it's anticipated that there'll be a shift in direction with these steps,” Gast told Insurance Business.
“With collaboration, cooperation, and public-private partnerships, hopefully we'll start to see positive results.”
Gast, who has nearly 25 years of experience with the Ontario Provincial Police, highlighted the coordinated and collaborative approach to the state’s campaign as significant.
“It won't be a siloed approach. It would be a very collaborative approach with other police services across Canada and overseas,” he said.
“Whenever there's a coordinated, dedicated focus and resources, you're always going to get better results.”
Ontario aims to deliver on three main strategies:
For Gast, having a dedicated team of prosecutors is a winning element of Ontario’s plan.
“It shows a good collaboration between prosecution and enforcement. There are lines between them as to how that's done, but I see it as extremely positive,” he said.
“[A dedicated team] working towards sentences and penalties that reflect the seriousness of the crimes will hopefully act as a deterrent so criminals will think twice about using Canada as their searching ground for stolen vehicles.”
As vehicles become more technologically advanced, so have criminals. Organized crime groups have increasingly adapted their modus operandi to the way vehicles are manufactured.
“When Transport Canada mandated in 2007 that auto manufacturers have to have anti-theft immobilizers on all vehicles sold in the country, that was the first time [criminals] had to start using technology to steal vehicles,” he said. “I’ve seen things progress over the last few years.”
With new technology available, thieves can steal a vehicle in less than 30 seconds. Evolving trends in criminals’ methods will be a major focus of Ontario’s new enforcement team, according to Gast.
Increasing awareness among auto manufacturers about the vulnerabilities in vehicles is also a significant tactic to stay ahead of evolving crimes. Consumers also need to be aware of the best ways to protect their vehicles.
“One of the things we focus on is the preventative side, including making consumers of measures that they can take that make it much harder for their vehicles to be stolen,” Gast said.
“We work with our international partners to find out the current trends and patterns that they're seeing, and then bring that back and make sure that awareness is present here.”
Équité Association is a not-for-profit organization delivering fraud analytics and intelligence to Canadian property and casualty (P&C) insurers. It collaborates with law enforcements and other industry organizations to fight insurance crimes.
“Auto theft increased by 40% in Ontario in 2022, and that trend is continuing this year. It is a national crisis that is costing Canadians well over a billion dollars every year and erodes public safety,” said Terri O’Brien, president and CEO of Équité Association, in a statement.
“We are confident that the establishment of the auto theft team and the auto theft prosecution team are vital steps toward diminishing this crime in Ontario.
“We look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners in the OPP and other law enforcement agencies as we work together to safeguard Canadians against this rapidly growing crime."
Finally, brokers and agents also have a role to play in the fight against auto thefts and insurance crime.
“Knowing your customer and the vehicle being insured [is important],” Gast said. “That public awareness piece is big. If you know your customer, the vehicle that's being insured and the history of it, you can help hem be aware of preventative measures they can take to make their vehicle less of a target.”
What are your thoughts on Ontario’s crackdown against auto theft? Sound off in the comments.
